After the delightful time we had at Lady Mendl’s, my mother-in-law suggested that we take NYC by the horns and visit every reputable tea parlor in all five boroughs, featuring the best ones here.
Never one to turn down an adventure (or macaroons), it took all of 2 seconds for me to commend her brilliant idea, and to start planning our way around the city.
The criteria for this challenge is only that they have a proper “afternoon tea” service, set between the hours of 3-5pm…we certainly were not going to discriminate between traditional or quirky, classy or kitschy, uptown or downtown. (Okay, anywhere in Staten Island has got to get some pretttyyyy amazing reviews in order for us to trek…but that’s the only catch, promise!)
Today we’re heading to the UES for a spot of tea at King’s Carriage House. The townhouse-turned-tearoom is exactly what you would hope it would be: charming, cozy, and cluttered (French shabby chic comes to mind!) You’ll find gilded paintings, crystal chandeliers, and antique everything, making for the perfect spot to sip a cuppa English Breakfast complete with a splash of milk and 2 lumps of sugar, of course.
We had our tea service in The Willow Room, surrounded by butter yellow exposed brick and mismatched tea pots shaped like European cottages. The tea service is one of the best priced in the city, where $24.95 per person will get you savory finger sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and homemade jam, sweets galore, and of course all the tea your little heart could desire.
Besides the decor, my favorite part of this service was the goat cheese tartelettes with mango and tomato and the dark belgian chocolate dipped strawberries. Bliss!
What’s the most memorable dish you’ve eaten this week? Describe below!
WHERE: Kings’ Carriage House 251 East 82nd Street New York, New York
Jessica Tiare Bowen lives in the juicy Big Apple with her adorable pink-nosed chihuahua, Gillman. He’s the inspiration for her first published children’s book, “Park Avenue Pound Puppy.” The book is the combined result of her two greatest passions: pooches and penning stories.
Her passions include art, urban hikes through Manhattan, drinking coffee with 3 creams and 6 sugars, making extremely detailed itineraries and traveling to far away places, singing along to Broadway shows, Netflix movie nights, discovering incredible treasures at Goodwill and thrift stores, and listening to stories from little people under 7 and big people over 70.
She started her career as New York City Teaching Fellow, teaching elementary school and theater arts at a special education school in the South Bronx for 6 years. She is now a Special Education School Improvement Specialist working in public schools throughout New York City. She is the Editor-In-Chief of the online New York City travel magazine, Used York City. The magazine focuses on finding the best of New York…as used by New Yorkers. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and an ASPCA Ambassador.
